My eyes
beheld him bringing the relics of the holy Church with him, and he left
[his testimony], whilst tasting of death, that it was true. And Marcus
was a devout man. What is there in it, then, but that Franciscus
translated this Book of Marcus from the Tartar into Latin; and the years
of the Lord at that time were fifteen years, two score, two hundred, and
one thousand" (1255).
It then describes Armein Bec (Little Armenia), Armein Mor (Great
Armenia), Musul, Taurisius, Persida, Camandi, and so forth. The last
chapter is that on Abaschia: -
"ABASCHIA also is an extensive country, under the government of Seven
Kings, four of whom worship the true God, and each of them wears a
golden cross on the forehead; and they are valiant in battle, having
been brought up fighting against the Gentiles of the other three kings,
who are Unbelievers and Idolaters. And the kingdom of ADEN; a Soudan
rules over them.
"The king of Abaschia once took a notion to make a pilgrimage to the
Sepulchre of Jesus. 'Not at all,' said his nobles and warriors to him,
'for we should be afraid lest the infidels through whose territories you
would have to pass, should kill you. There is a Holy Bishop with you,'
said they; 'send him to the Sepulchre of Jesus, and much gold with
him'" -
The rest is wanting.
[1] In the following citations, the Geographic Text (G. T.) is quoted by
page from the printed edition (1824); the Latin published in the same
volume (G. L.) also by page; the Crusca, as before, from Bartoli's
edition of 1863. References in parentheses are to the present
translation: -
A. Passages showing the G. L. to be a translation from the Italian,
and derived from the same Italian text as the Crusca.
Page
(1). G.T. 17 (I. 43). Il hi se laborent le souran tapis
dou monde.
Crusca, 17 .. E quivi si fanno i sovrani tappeti
del mondo.
G.L. 311 .. Et ibi fiunt soriani et tapeti
pulcriores de mundo.
(2). G.T. 23 (I. 69). Et adonc le calif mande par tuit les
cristiez ... que en sa tere estoient.
Crusca, 27 .. Ora mando lo aliffo per tutti gli
Cristiani ch' erano di la.
G.L. 316 .. Or misit califus pro Christianis
qui erant ultra fluvium
(the last words being clearly a
misunderstanding of the Italian di la).
(3). G.T. 198 (II. 313). Ont sosimain (sesamum) de coi il
font le olio.
Crusca, 253 .. Hanno sosimai onde fanno l' olio.
G.L. 448 .. Habent turpes manus (taking sosimani
for sozze mani "Dirty hands"!).
(4). Crusca, 52 (I. 158). Cacciare e uccellare v' e lo migliore
del mondo.
G.L. 332 .. Et est ibi optimum caciare et ucellare.
(5). G.T. 124 (II.
